Author Archives: Douglas R. Satterfield
[December 15, 2020] Yes … I’m a flag-waving American Patriot. My 40 years in the U.S. Army did not make me a patriot. Growing up in a patriotic family did not make me a patriot. I’m a patriot because I lived half my life overseas in 20 foreign countries, on four continents, which made me a patriot. With… Read More »
[December 14, 2020] A Gallup poll in October 1940 found American youth as “a flabby, pacifist, yellow, cynical, discouraged, and leftist lot.” On the precipice of war, the United States was wholly unprepared militarily or socially. We were, indeed, a cowardly, leftist lot. Today, we are no different. We honor and respect the Greatest Generation; those who served… Read More »
[December 13, 2020] Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in actions. Sometimes, you learn this the hard way as an adult, better to learn it through play as a child. I’m reminded of the summer of 1963 when a group of us boys played King of the Hill on a gravel pile left on a… Read More »
[December 12, 2020] It has been said that a hero is somebody who voluntarily walks into the unknown. That, my friends, describes Chuck Yeager, flying combat ace, and test pilot – a real American hero. “You don’t concentrate on risks. You concentrate on results. No risk is too great to prevent the necessary job from getting done.” –… Read More »
[December 11, 2020] Yesterday, my wife Nancy was very upset, and it is not a good idea for her to be upset. She wanted to watch a video from Right Side Broadcasting, which was uploaded to YouTube. The video didn’t play because YouTube had banned it. We compared it to the Nazi book burning events in the 1930s.… Read More »
[December 10, 2020] Not all fights on the battlefield are with guns. Yesterday, I spoke with a battle-buddy of mine from our first unit’s deployment in the Iraq War. You know the conversation … old war stories, what happened to us, and how it made for something to tell the grandkids. Scotty, at the time a U.S. Army… Read More »
[December 9, 2020] It has been said that success is not measured by our accomplishments but by the size of the obstacles we overcome and the courage we show. William “Bill” H. Gates III is an American business magnate and philanthropist. He is best known as the co-founder of Microsoft Corportation.1 It’s hard to argue with the success… Read More »
[December 8, 2020] The life of a Soldier is one of both honor and hardship. Therefore, it is understandable that all relationships with their comrades must be via unconditional honesty. This is why, today, I write about a man called Diogenes of Sinope, for he spent his life looking for an honest man. Most have heard the story… Read More »
[December 7, 2020] December 7, 1941, at 7:53 a.m., Japanese warplanes attacked the U.S. Naval fleet at Pearl Harbor.1 Much has been written in America about the attack – the lessons learned from it and how a weaker yet innovative enemy can blindside a large and powerful nation. In a famous speech, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt declared the… Read More »
[December 5, 2020] Over the past several decades, there has been a decline of veteran identity. This is reflected in falling membership across all organizations like the VFW, increased suicide rates, and unemployment. This is a problem that has national-level and societal implications, none of which are good. The Decline of Veteran identity. This unfortunate decline of identity… Read More »